Fernando Alonso could lose his fifth place in the United States Grand Prix as a result of a post-race investigation.
The McLaren driver overtook Felipe Massa for sixth late in the race, barging past at Turn 16. The two cars bumped wheels and both ran wide on the exit of the corner as a result, with Alonso emerging ahead and Massa picking up a puncture which required a late pit stop.
Alonso then went on to pass Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap, securing fifth place while Massa came home seventh. The stewards announced the incident would be investigated after the race and both drivers were summoned to see the stewards at 1645 local time.
Toro Rosso informed Sainz of the investigation after he lost his position to Alonso, telling him to keep the gap to less than five seconds in case of a possible penalty.
"They told me in the last lap when suddenly they saw I hit the cliff of the tyres," Sainz said. "They said: 'You need to remain in the five-second window' because it's the lowest penalty he can get. So they told me: 'Please, five seconds' and I started pushing like crazy but with no tyres and I did some good drifting on the last lap!"
Sainz eventually finished 2.2s behind Alonso, with Massa ending the race a lap down.
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